For thousands of Albertans, disability and poverty are deeply connected experiences. While disability can affect anyone at any stage of life, people living with disabilities are significantly more likely to experience financial hardship. While not everybody with a disability experiences poverty, the prevalence of poverty is higher among people with disabilities than people without disabilities.
Higher costs associated with disability, combined with lower incomes and systems that do not fully account for either, create additional barriers that contribute to the lived realities of poverty for many people.
Higher costs associated with disability, combined with lower incomes and systems that do not fully account for either, create additional barriers that contribute to the lived realities of poverty for many people.
As Alberta's disability income support system undergoes significant changes this month, the conversation about disability poverty has become more important than ever. Behind policy debates are real people trying to afford housing, food, transportation, medication, and other essentials while navigating barriers that many Albertans never encounter. This article will explore what disability and poverty look like in Calgary and Alberta, the structural and systemic contributors to disability poverty, and recommendations for change.
